The 7 Ways Stress Effects Your Health

All of us stress out sometimes, but there are times we are so stressed out it effects our health.

Unknown to a lot of people, stress is a direct cause of a number of health problems. Many people dismiss stress as a result of overwork, but it is in fact a medical condition that can lead to more serious complications if not treated properly.

Stress 101: Everything You Need to Know

For such a fairly common problem, the public doesn't really know a lot of information about stress. This is probably why most people just dismiss it instead of seeking treatment for it. In fact, here are a few interesting statistics that may just encourage people to take stress more seriously:

• More than 40% of American adults suffer from stress-related health conditions - A whopping 90% of all initial doctor consultations are spurred by stress-related issues - In most companies in the United States, more than 80% of all employees find their jobs or their work environment to be moderately stressful - It is estimated that as much as $300 billion are lost by American corporations each year due to stress-related issues
  
  

Two Main Types of Stress

The first type of stress is a good type of stress. This stress is called eustress. The other type of stress is called distress or chronic stress. This type of stress is the one that is harmful for the body.

As serious as Chronic stress can be it is hard to detect. Most times chronic stress will go be undetected until symptoms arise. By then it means that the chronic stress has progressed and at this point it is treatable but is much more difficult than if caught early on.

What Could Happen With Prolonged Stress


1. Depression

Depression is a side effect that is commonly seen in people with chronic stress. Depression is a serious condition that effects not only you physically, but emotionally, and economically. It not only makes your tired, but sad and from being sad it effects your willingness to go to and perform at work.

2. Anxiety

This is a condition very similar to depression but also quite different. Physiological effects can be seen in the body when anxiety and depression occur at the same time.

3. Heart Conditions

Although stress is not a direct cause of heart attacks, it certainly plays a huge part in the process.

4. Diabetes

This illness is characterized by the unnaturally high levels of sugar in the bloodstream. It has been said that stress is one of the most common reasons for the irregularity in glucose levels in the blood.

5. Hair Loss

There are times a couple of weeks after a stressful situation occurs that clumps of hair will fall out. Although most of the time hair loss is blamed on genetics, stress is a common cause that is commonly overlooked.

6. Excessive Weight

Weight gain is extremely common when someone is under a great deal of stress. Stress slow your metabolism and causes people to over-eat to have the endorphins, a chemical in the body to be released when the stomach is full. Endorphins gives you a temporary high that chronically stressed people enjoy. These two factors can be deadly to a healthy physique.

7. Loss of Libido

Now, if the last 6 steps didn't convince you stress is a serious problem this will. Libido is diminished when there is severe or prolonged stress in a persons life, and for some reason or another this condition is more commonly found in men than women.

Although these conditions are severe there are many more conditions to consider. These are simply the most reported. However these conditions alone should be enough to make you reconsider your options for medical treatment. It is best to catch the problem before it's too severe to treat.